What’s Norton doing at TTXGP?

Anyone who knows Norton motorcycles knows what the brand stands for. A bike manufacturer with a perfect blend of 20th century nostalgia, woman-on-bike based advertising, a loyal following and dollops of class and respect.

Even looking at their current bikes, one would imagine they are stuck in the blast from the past and the good old Woodstock days are not yet over for them. So, time to tweak the good ‘ol brand image then …

Norton has proved it that a professor in a tweed jacket can still turn out to be a PS3 owner. Or something like that. No, what they have really done is built an electric bike. And it’s not just another two wheeler that goes slower than dial-up, it’s a TTXGP racer.

For the un-initiated, TTXGP is an electric motorcycle race that started in 2008 at the famous Isle of Man TT circuit. It’s also the event which has spawned a number of other electric bike races. No doubt, it’s an honour for any manufacturer to race a bike at this event. But Norton isn’t known to be just another manufacturer right?

So what Norton decided to do is to re-invent a 1951 Featherbed chassis to design the brand-new-yet-old-looking bike, Moto Electra. The sweet cherry on top is the fact that the bike managed to come in 7th in the incredibly competitive Laguna Seca 2011 event.